"Mohammad Hafeez is still ideal for the number 3 slot in ODIs" : Aamir Sohail

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"Mohammad Hafeez is still ideal for the number 3 slot in ODIs" : Aamir Sohail

In his latest blog for PakPassion.net, former Pakistan captain Aamir Sohail writes about Fakhar Zaman's double-hundred, whether Fakhar should be picked for the Test side, Imam-ul-Haq's start in international cricket, Sarfaraz Ahmed's and Babar Azam's batting positions in the ODI team and Mohammad Hafeez's woes in Zimbabwe.

Fakhar Zaman's double-hundred

There were so many Pakistani batsmen over the years who had the potential to score a double-hundred in One-Day cricket but couldn't really reach that mark, but the way Fakhar approaches his batting, this landmark was always going to be on the cards and he just had to grab the opportunity. However, I'm not saying he should change his natural game, but he has to now realise that these kind of free-flowing innings happen once or twice in a lifetime. He has to have a bit of a re-think about when he is playing against stronger sides and how to manage his innings in terms of which balls to go after and which balls to show respect to and I think this is something he needs to learn. He should have the confidence now and the know-how of how to compete against stronger sides and that's where he has to capitalise and I want to see that happen.

Fakhar Zaman in all three formats?

I think he should be given a chance in Test cricket. If you look at the Pakistani set-up at the moment in Test cricket, you don't have the potential to go beyond 300 runs in a day. Having someone like Fakhar in the line-up gives you something different and backed by the bowling attack Pakistan currently has, which has the capability of taking 20 wickets in a match, you need a batsman like Fakhar to set things up for the bowlers. I believe there is definitely room for Fakhar in the current Pakistan Test side.

Imam-ul-Haq's start in international cricket

Before criticising him and making a judgement on him, just let the young man prove himself. Don't keep on saying he has been picked because he is the nephew of Inzamam-ul-Haq. It seems some people are criticising him just because he is Inzamam's nephew. So far, he has proven a lot of people wrong and I am very happy for him. He's doing well and I was particularly impressed with him in the run-chase in the Ireland Test match. He never panicked and he looked comfortable out there and he wasn't fazed when a few wickets fell around him. He kept on batting in a compact way and he eventually helped Pakistan win a tricky Test match. It was a very impressive performance from him and the way he is going about his batting is heartening to see. There are one or two glitches in his technique which you would expect at this stage and which he has to improve upon and I think he will do that and have a good career for Pakistan.

Sarfaraz Ahmed's role in the Pakistan ODI team

What I want to see is Sarfaraz Ahmed batting at number 7 because whenever he promotes himself in the batting order, he has struggled and if I'm being honest then I am surprised with his technique at the moment. He is squatting too much at the crease before the ball is delivered and getting up from there is quite difficult. When you are trying to get up from that awkward position, you actually lose sight of the ball. This is something Sarfaraz needs to address and work on. If Sarfaraz bats at number seven, then there may be room for Mohammad Hafeez in the starting eleven.

Mohammad Hafeez's future in the Pakistan ODI team

I feel that Hafeez is still ideal for the number 3 slot and I was surprised that he didn't play even one ODI match recently in Zimbabwe. When you are playing the World Cup in England, you need a third opener batting at number three and someone who can bat well against the new ball and who has experience. The problem for Hafeez is that since Shoaib Malik is performing well with the bat and he can bowl a few off-spinners when needed so the preference is for Shoaib Malik at the moment. Both Hafeez and Malik have similar levels of experience but I would like to see Mohammad Hafeez batting at number 3 in the ODI team and Sarfaraz at number 7.

Babar Azam's role in the ODI team

I don't agree with Babar Azam batting at number 5 against the stronger teams and then moved to 3 against the likes of Zimbabwe and I don't think this is helping Babar at all. You have to give him a clear role that he will bat at number 3 or number 5 irrespective of the opposition and not keep moving him around the order.

Good vibes in Pakistan cricket

There is a feel-good factor at the moment in Pakistan cricket at the moment but you cannot be complacent and you have to keep on improving. At the moment, our bowlers are winning Pakistan most of the matches, but when the bowlers struggle then Pakistan's batting will get exposed. I feel that Pakistan's batting needs to improve as you have to have a good mixture of experience and youth.

Agree, Babar Azam is not yet ready for top level cricket and to bat at no.3, I would drop him and replace him with a senior and more accomplished batsman like Hafeez. Once again we should all appreciate Amir Sohail for it was him as Chief Selector who found this diamond of a batsman to serve Pakistan cricket for the next decade and half.

"Lack of Form is Temporary, Lack of Class is Permanent" -- dedicated to The Honorable Professor.

What did I just read. If sarfaraz comes at 7 we can't get 50 decent overs of bowling.
And sarf will be fumbling at the death. Come and play the spin in the middle overs is his best shot
And the stuff about Babar.???!!!
Why was he not promoted by the interviewer

If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you always got #improve

An average player and even more an average analyst. How on Earth would you want shameless cheater batting ahead of Babar. Some people saying he might have mixed the formats up. I tell you what these analyst always mix it up depending on their agendas. They clearly know the right figures batting positions etc but they purposely do it in order to fool people.

Thank God for Mickey being the head coach of Pakistan, otherwise seniors like Md Haffez would bat at 3 his backup would be Imran Farhat and Yasir Hameed with Younis Khan still as available as an option and since Babar is a youngster he would be asked to play at no 6 as a pinch hitter just like Umar Akmal was made to do.

This downfall(from 2011 till 2017) in limited overs cricket was self inflicting and if people like Armor Sohail, Mohsin Khan are made the head coach they will again work their a** off to take Pakistan back to the coveted NUMBER 9 position in the the ODI format.

These statement have proved that no Pakistani should be made the head coach of the national team( they can work as assistant coach but never as Head coach).

Note:-
Even the under 19 squad should have a foreigner as the head coach otherwise these guys would rarely realise the potential in the players and would keep on playing the blockers at the top (need to keep wickets in hand) and at 6 or 7 would send the aggressors where the match would be almost lost.

I think Hafeez was first selected to play for Pakistan by Aamir Sohail, when Sohail was the Chairman of Selectors back in 2003. I also seem to remember from his commentary that he always had a 'soft spot' for Hafeez.

1: When you are playing the World Cup in England, you need a third opener batting at number three. This is a myth. Has he been watching any cricket lately? Bairstow and Butler are opening in various formats. Gone are days when you needed a test match type opener in England. And this guy wants to play a third opener at 3.

2: When was Babar playing at 5? In ODIs? As I mentioned above, he hasn't been watching any cricket it seems. It's just hoe Rameez raja only watches matches that he is commentating in.

Agree, Babar Azam is not yet ready for top level cricket and to bat at no.3, I would drop him and replace him with a senior and more accomplished batsman like Hafeez. Once again we should all appreciate Amir Sohail for it was him as Chief Selector who found this diamond of a batsman to serve Pakistan cricket for the next decade and half.

Oh My God. The mistake I have made reading this. Aamir Sohail has no idea what he's talking about. Pakistan has currently Babar Azam as a No.3 and if he was to be replaced, then Haris Sohail is more than capable of replacing him. As it is Haris Sohail is good enough to be a part of the team in ODI setup.

After a long time Pakistan team management plays players on their merits and a few days later we see this.

It's self evident he made a few calls once he landed back in Pakistan and this 'blogpost' is a clear reflection of that.

I know Amir Sohial will be getting these feedbacks to his article so let me clearly spell this out for you. Ask Hafeez to hand in his retirement before things particularly get ugly. HE IS NOT IN MICKY'S PLANS FOR 2019 - What you hear on TV is Micky being politically and that's about it.

Hafeez will continue to get the short end of the stick because Micky has a policy of no 33+ players that he's maintained throughout his coaching career! If Hafeez rettires now he will given given much respect rather than how others have gone in the past.

Teams are packing their lineups with 3-4 explosive players in their top 5 and we have the one explosive player in the top 5 and he wants him to rein it in too? It makes you wonder if these clowns even watch cricket anymore.

He wants to accomodate Hafeez in sake of rattling Babar to no 3 position. I think he is against the Board and team and pile a lot of useless criticism on the team despite winning and we have seen youngsters coming up and commnading the game. I think Hafeez should be with the team likewise old soccer players in which they get less match time and pcb groom the players like Haris Babar Asif Ali with the seniors like Malik , Hafeez. Hafeez can be good at no.6 likewise he comes out champions trophy final as a pinch hitter and did a remarkable job at the end. So Asif Ali and Hafeez can switch no 6 . With Hafeez you have advantage of bowling and oppositions with weak in playing spin. He can deployed and otherwise Asif Ali is good. Its all about managing the team .

This Guy always comes up with negativity... Aamir should just focus on commentary.. his expert vews are the worst to hear.. And some people like Mamoon called him the best selector for Pak team

He was instrumental in phasing out the 90’s generation after the 2003 World Cup and gave young players a lot of opportunities.

As Chief Selector he was not afraid to get rid of expired seniors, but his backing of Hafeez over the last few years as well as these comments clearly indicate that he is out of touch with the game today.

He was instrumental in phasing out the 90’s generation after the 2003 World Cup and gave young players a lot of opportunities.

As Chief Selector he was not afraid to get rid of expired seniors, but his backing of Hafeez over the last few years as well as these comments clearly indicate that he is out of touch with the game today.

That chopping and changing gave pakistan team 53 and 59 all out in Sharjah if u remember.. Aamir Sohail got rid of most 90s player because of personal grudge rather then building a new team

That chopping and changing gave pakistan team 53 and 59 all out in Sharjah if u remember.. Aamir Sohail got rid of most 90s player because of personal grudge rather then building a new team

That young team nearly beat the greatest Australian team of all time in Colombo in the first Test. The likes of Faisal Iqbal played Warne better than most players I have seen.

We should have won that Test, but the way Australia fought back and snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat, which I think shattered the confidence of some of our young players, and they rolled over in the subsequent Tests in Sharjah without putting up a fight.

I am not aware of his intentions, but the rebuilding after the 2003 World Cup was necessary. However, it is indeed a shame that none of the new replacements went on to become a world class player, with the exception of perhaps Gul, who himself did not develop into the bowler people thought he would become.

His dismantling of an Indian lineup of Tendulkar, Sehwag, Dravid, Laxman and Ganguly in Lahore in 2004 on a flat deck was the best he ever bowled in a Test match, and it was only a year after his debut.

One of the craziest statements I have heard. Hafeez didn't even get selected in ODI's against Zimbabwe so how can he be in NO. 3 against teams like australia india and england. Babar azam is very good batsman in limited overs and was good against Ireland and England in tests before getting injured. He will become better in test format.

Malik has always been more likely to perform in South Africa rather than Australia or England. Besides, even if he fails, he is not going anywhere till the World Cup next summer.

I am not sure. I don’t recall him performing in South Africa. His horror tours usually tend to be pretty bad: I think he flunked out in Australia, England, and in NZ in the last year and a half. Pretty sure Mickey has noticed this and is waiting to see it how it goes on the tough games. Like he had to wait for Misbah and Yk

Good thing he's not a chief selector anymore. Feels like a lot of these guys don't watch games, and just pick a name and back it to do well, that's the only thing that explains why a lot of these ex-cricketers are more clueless than the fans who follow the team.